In honor of her 25th birthday, here are facts you probably didn't know about the actress, who starred as Shuri in "Black Panther" and "Avengers: Infinity War."
Letitia Wright's role as T'Challa's younger, tech-savvy sister Shuri in "Black Panther" made her a breakout star. Fans and co-stars alike praised her performance and declared her the film's scene-stealer.
Aside from starring in "Black Panther" and "Avengers: Infinity War," the young star has a few other acting roles to her name. This includes parts on "Doctor Who," "Black Mirror," and "Ready Player One." She was in Drake's "Nice For What" music video, too.
Fans of Wright might already know that prior to becoming an actress, she grew up in Guyana, South America and moved to England when she was 8 years old. But there are a few other things that her followers might not be aware of.
From her favorite TV shows to the movie that inspired her to act, here are eight things you might know about Wright.
She was inspired to act after seeing the movie “Akeelah and the Bee,� which starred Keke Palmer.
The movie centered on a young African American girl (played by Palmer) with a difficult home life. After participating in a spelling bee, she realized her true potential.
"She looked like me and she was smart and she was doing something positive," Wright told the Sunday Morning Herald. "I wanted to make people feel the way I felt after that movie – inspired, happy, like I believe I can do anything. It was just a good feeling."
Coincidentally, Wright's "Black Panther" co-star Angela Bassett was also part of the film's cast.
Sheâ€
s a natural at rapping and freestyling.
The actress has showed off her skills during talk show appearances and videos posted on social media. One particular video that was recorded on the set of "Black Panther" went viral, and Wright was nicknamed MC Baby Underbite by co-star Danai Gurira.
"It was all just for fun," Wright told Jimmy Fallon of the rap battles that she had while filming the Marvel movie.
Wright cites "Full House" and "Breaking Bad" as two of her favorite shows.
During an interview with W magazine, Wright also mentioned that she's a fan of Jaleel White's role as Steve Urkel on the sitcom"Family Matters" and said he was her "favorite character."
She improvised one of Shuri's best lines in "Black Panther."
The line takes place when T'Challa returns to Shuri's lab with CIA agent Ross (played by Martin Freeman), who got injured during a fight.
"When you see T'Challa bring back Ross she [Shuri] says, 'Great! Another broken white boy for us to fix!' That was my idea," Wright revealed to Yahoo.
The actress explained that director Ryan Coogler was all for her suggestion, especially since it was a nod to her character also healing Bucky Barnes after "Captain America: Civil War."
Viola Davis and Naomie Harris are her acting inspirations.
Wright told Refinery29 that she admires Davis, Michael B. Jordan, and Kerry Washington for taking the initiative in Hollywood, producing their own projects, and making more opportunities available for themselves.
And if there was a movie made about her life, Wright would want Naomie Harris to play her "any day."
Wright was at a bus stop in London when she got the call saying she landed a role in "Black Panther."
She left her house one day, went to the bus stop, got the life-changing call, and "screamed" (which earned Wright some confused looks from strangers around her).
She once took a break from acting in order to focus on her mental health.
As Wright began booking more roles and her career started taking off, she struggled with anxiety and depression.
"I think it was that pressure to be accepted, to be somebody," she told W magazine. "When you're looking outside of yourself for happiness and validation, a mean comment on social media can wreck you. I was OK when I was on set, hiding behind my work, but when I wasn't acting I was full of fear and doubt, trying to fill this void inside of me any way I could: drinking, smoking. It was bad."
After reconnecting with Christianity, she eventually felt more secure and returned to acting.
"I had to look deeper to find what could hold me, and I found that what held me together was my relationship with Jesus and my relationship with God," she told Teen Vogue.
Long before "Black Panther," she was in a West End production of "Eclipsed," which was written by future co-star Danai Gurira.
The award-winning show focused on four women living together amid the Liberian Civil War. Wright's part was also played by Lupita Nyong'o when "Eclipsed" hit Broadway in 2016.
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Lifestyle: 8 things you didn't know about 'Black Panther' breakout star Letitia Wright
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